That Caring Kind of Love
by magicalmusings508
Summary: Quinn is upset and alone. Puck comforts her, and they realize how much they care for one another, but not in a romantic way. Oneshot.


Author's note: Just a Quick (heh heh) one shot. Also, my first fanfiction. Please review!

Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or any of these characters.

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><p>The sun rose over the rooftop of McKinley high school, casting a fiery glow across the parking lot. Quinn squinted into the distance. She could just make out a flock of geese, soaring carelessly in the hazy light, in their absurdly recognizable V formation. She sighed. V for Valentine's Day. Even the geese had someone.<p>

She rested her head against a tree and closed her eyes. She was halfway through her senior year at McKinley. This was her last chance at a high-school romance. She knew it was her fault. She messed up, she cheated, and she paid the consequences. She had once believed that love was a status symbol. If you date the right guy, your popularity skyrockets. She gritted her teeth in embarrassment when she thought about how she had acted last year, all for the prestigious title of "Prom Queen." She had kept Finn from his true happiness: Rachel.

She tried to mend things afterwards. She did feel awful, once the full realization of what she had done hit her. She saw how happy Rachel and Finn were together, and supported them as best she could. She had stood in the way of their love for a tiara, and she wanted to make up for it.

After a while, things had gotten better, though she didn't speak to them much. They weren't friends, they were acquaintances. They never really had been friends, come to think of it.

She thought of Sam. She had never seen him happier than he was with Mercedes. He had once told Quinn he loved her. What did he feel for her now?

She remembered times when she was loved. All she wanted was to go back to those times. She wanted someone to love her still.

She thought of Beth. Poor, sweet Beth. She wished she hadn't given her up. She wanted to hold her; she wanted someone to love her unconditionally without judgment. She wanted to devote her time and attention to her baby girl, and dress her up in ridiculously frilly pink dresses. She wanted to sign her up for dance lessons and hang her drawings up in her bedroom. She wanted to spend hours soothing her, and rocking her, and finally putting her to sleep in the wee hours of the morning. She wanted to know that there was someone who loved her, no matter what.

At the sound of light footsteps on the grass, Quinn looked up. Standing over her was a concerned Puck. His eyes were questioning, silently asking a stream of questions. He gaze was concentrated; He seemed to be looking for answers in her blurred eyes. She realized she was crying.

He didn't ask why she was there so early, or why she was crying, or if she was alright. He simply sat down next to her and shrugged his arm around her shoulder. She cried openly now, but not because she was upset. She was truly happy. Puck didn't know why she was crying, he just knew she was upset and wanted to comfort her. It was a rare occasion that somebody actually asked Quinn how she was doing, but Puck always seemed to take notice when she was overwhelmed. She loved him for that.

Quinn thought back to the last time she had been with Puck like this. They had been in the hospital, gazing upon their daughter. _Their daughter. _She had never thought of it that way. Beth was hers. But that wasn't true at all. Beth was his, too. She knew how he loved her. He had wanted her to keep Beth. He would have helped raise her. Now Quinn wished she had taken that offer.

Puck had said he loved her. What had happened after that? Once they didn't have that connection of a child, everything dissolved. They didn't speak over the summer, something Quinn regretted now. She wished she had stayed with him, instead of letting things fizzle out. Maybe if she had, she wouldn't feel like this now. Maybe she would feel loved.

She gently rested her head on his strong shoulder, and he looked at her, with an expression she couldn't place. Concern? Pity? Love?

At last she spoke. "I'm miserable. And it's my fault. It's my fault." She could barely get the words out with her quavering voice. She felt ashamed. She wasn't used to sharing her feelings so openly. She wasn't supposed to break down like this. She needed to be strong, but she couldn't. She felt like she could never be strong again.

"Shh…" Puck quieted her whimpers. He stroked her hair, and kissed the top of her head. She could feel the love in his gestures, but understood that it wasn't a romantic love at all.

It was a friendship love.

Quinn's entire perspective changed in those few moments. She knew what she wanted. She didn't need romance, or a high-school sweetheart. Not even today, on Valentine's day. She just needed to know there was someone who cared for her, in any way at all. She knew that Puck cared for her. He cared for her like a sister, like a best friend. She realized she felt the same way.

She didn't have to say any more. They both understood their relationship.

The pair of them sat together under the tree, leaning close to one another, for many more hours.


End file.
